Willard Young (April 30, 1852 – July 25, 1936) was a prominent member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church) who served for many years in the United States military, and later held high positions within the LDS Church's administration. He also served as an educational leader.
Born in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
,
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...
, Young was the son of
Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
and Clarissa Ross Young. His mother died when he was six, and after this
Zina D. H. Young acted as his mother.
[Jenson, Andrew. '']Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia
''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (abbreviated ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia'') is a four-volume biographical dic ...
'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Andrew Jenson Historical Company, 1920). Vol. 3 p. 575. Young is at times described as Zina's "foster son".
In 1860, Young was
baptized a member of the LDS Church by James Works.
In 1871, Young began as a cadet at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
. He graduated from West Point in 1875 and was appointed a
second lieutenant with the
. From 1875 to 1877 he was stationed at
Willets Point, New York. From 1877 to 1879 he worked under Lieutenant Wheeler in the geographical survey of the United States west of the 100th meridian.
[Jenson. ''Biographical Encyclopedia''. Vol. 3, p. 576]
From 1879 to 1883 Young was an instructor and then a professor at West Point.
[
Young married Harriet Hooper on August 1, 1882. She was the daughter of Willam H. Hooper. Young was ordained a ]seventy
70 (seventy) is the natural number following 69 and preceding 71.
In mathematics
70 is:
* a sphenic number because it factors as 3 distinct primes.
* a Pell number.
* the seventh pentagonal number.
* the fourth tridecagonal number.
* the fif ...
in 1891 and served as a Mutual Improvement Association Missionary in Davis, Weber and Box Elder
''Acer negundo'', the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or inva ...
counties in northern Utah.[ While working for the Corps of Engineers, Young was involved in making detailed maps of northern Utah and southern ]Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
.
Young was the local supervisor in the construction of the Cascade Locks in Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
.[ In 1886 Young was advanced to the rank of captain. From October 1889 to June 1890 Young was stationed in ]Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, supervising the Third District of the Mississippi River.[
In 1891, Young resigned from the Army. From 1891 until 1893 Young served as president of the nascent Salt Lake City-based Young University. That institution ceased operation in 1894, and from there Young moved to serve as city engineer for Salt Lake City (1893-95). He then was appointed Utah's first state engineer, a position he held until the start of the Spanish–American War.][
In 1896 Young was appointed brigadier-general of the Utah National Guard. He was still serving in this position when the ]Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cloc ...
began. He was a key figure in organizing the Utah volunteers. He then was appointed a colonel in the Second Regiment, U.S. Volunteer Engineers. He eventually went to Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
and served in the army until May 16, 1899.[
From 1906 until 1915 Young was the president of the ]LDS Business College
Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College) is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes a ...
.[ In this position he had responsibility for general supervision of the Deseret Gym.
From 1907 Young served as an alternate member of the Ensign Stake High Council.
From January 1916 until July 1917 Young served as an assistant to the ]president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the Logan Utah Temple
The Logan Utah Temple (formerly the Logan Temple) was completed in 1884, and is the fourth temple built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Logan, Utah, it was the second temple built in the Rocky Mountain ...
.[ With the outbreak of ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Young again joined the army. During the war he was in charge of the Kansas City Engineer District.[
In 1919 Young was made superintendent of the LDS Church's building activities. From 1923, this department supervised the building of meetinghouses and ]seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
buildings, providing the architectural plans for the buildings.
Young University
In 1876, LDS Church President Brigham Young executed a deed of land for the establishment of an academy (initially to be known as 'Brigham Young Academy') in Salt Lake City (as he also did for Provo 875
__NOTOC__
Year 875 ( DCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* August 12 – Emperor Louis II dies in Brescia, after having named his c ...
and Logan 877; Willard Young was one of the seven trustees named to oversee its subsequent development. However, later problems with the board of trustees designated for this academy, as well as growing friction between the Church and the federal government, delayed its establishment.
No results of consequence had been obtained by August 1883, when Willard Young returned to Salt Lake City after his teaching appointments at West Point. He immediately began talking to the other trustees, and sought to obtain financial backing from the LDS Church. However, he received orders in October of 1883 to report to Portland, Oregon, and the matter was again dropped.
During his absence, the LDS Church backed the establishment of the 'Salt Lake Stake Academy', which was created in 1886. This push, instituted by President Wilford Woodruff, was an effort to increase educational opportunities in the area: in 1888, the church established and put into operaton eighteen academies, operated through the church's "stakes" or ecclesiastical groups. As part of this push, in June 1888 the General Church Board of Education examined the deed of trust for the Brigham Young Academy at Salt Lake City. Following the meeting, Wilford Woodruff wrote a letter to Willard Young asking his aid in using the deeded property for the Salt Lake Stake Academy. No response from Young is recorded, and the Young Academy's deed remained unchanged. By 1 May 1890 it appears that Woodruff had decided against creating a church-based educational institution in Salt Lake City, because he and his counselors wrote to Young, asking him to resign his military commission and assume the presidency of a new, independent university, to be named Young Academy. This organization was renamed 'University of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' in 1992, and was locally referred to as 'the Church University'. It apparently was intended to become 'the' Mormon institution of higher learning, and a high class university, second to none in the west.
Young was in Salt Lake City by 30 November 1890. He vigorously promoted, arranged, planned, persuaded, and by September 1893 the institution began presenting lectures at 233 West 200 North. However, the effort lasted only through that school year; in spring 1894 its final classes were presented.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Willard
1852 births
1936 deaths
American civil engineers
American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
American military engineers
Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery
People from Salt Lake City
Richards–Young family
United States Military Academy alumni
Ensign College faculty
Latter Day Saints from New York (state)
United States Army colonels
United States Army personnel of World War I